The higher education students’ election panel debate: all the parliamentary candidates promised increased funding for the higher education institutions 

Press release

For immediate release 20 March 2019

 

On 15 March, the election panel debate Ode to Education, organised by the higher education students, gathered a number of parliamentary candidates to discuss the parliamentary election goals of the National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) and the University of Applied Sciences Students in Finland – SAMOK.

The students asked the panellists tough questions about education, income, climate and students’ mental health.

The panellists were:
Tiina Ahva, Blue Reform

Sari Multala, National Coalition Party

Ville Niinistö, Green League

Mikaela Nylander, Swedish People’s Party in Finland

Tuomo Puumala, Centre Party of Finland

Aleksi Sarasmaa, Christian Democrats in Finland

Hanna Sarkkinen, Left Alliance

Sami Savio, Finns Party

Pilvi Torsti, Social Democratic Party of Finland

 

One point the panellists agreed on was that the funding for the higher education institutions must be increased and an annual index increment must be included in the funding for the higher education institutions in the future. All the panellists were of the opinion that students should be included in the social security reform.

 

In addition, the topics of investing in students’ mental health and introducing a therapy guarantee were discussed in great detail. All the parliamentary candidates participating in the panel debate supported starting a trial project on free psychotherapy for people under the age of 29. The panellists were of the opinion that a quick access to mental health services must be guaranteed during the next government term.

Participate in the campaign

In the panel debate, SAMOK and SYL launched their parliamentary election campaign #YOURsolution. During the campaign, we will collect the candidates’, students’ and experts’ solutions to the student movement’s themes for the parliamentary elections.

How to participate in the campaign:
1) Download a solution picture on a white background from the website https://www.koulutustaprkl.fi/en/osallistuprkl/ and share the picture of your solution on social media with the hashtags #YOURsolution and #educationprkl.
2) Print an A4-sized solution sign and take a picture of yourself with the sign and the solution you have written on it. Share the picture on social media with the hashtags #YOURsolution and #educationprkl.

3) You can also invite parliamentary candidates to share their solutions on social media; use the same hashtags #YOURsolution and #educationprkl.

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